205: The Myths and Reality of Preventing Youth Suicide

Many myths about youth suicide exist— from the belief that just talking about suicide will encourage harm, to there is no way to "stop" someone experiencing suicidality, to means not mattering, and beyond. Allowing these myths to be perpetuated is hazardous to young people, as over the past decade, youth firearm suicide has reached its highest rate. And in particular, the firearm suicide rate among children and teens has increased faster than among any other age group. How can we all better serve the young people in our lives? Hosts Kelly and JJ sat down with Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth, Chief Medical Officer at The Jed Foundation to discuss what we get wrong, and how we can get it right.

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Mentioned in this podcast:
It's Okay to Say Suicide(Jed)
What You Need to Know About Youth Suicide(NAMI)
How easy access to guns at home contributes to America’s youth suicide problem(the Conversation)
Locking up guns could reduce teen and childhood firearm deaths by a third(CNN)
Preventing Youth Suicide: Tips for Parents & Educators (NASP）